Instrument for indicating condition of railroad-tracks



No. 6I4,983. Patented Nov. 29, I898.

J. T. RICHARDS. INSTRUMENT FOR INDICATING CONDITION OF RAILROAD TRACKS.

(Application filed Apr. 7, 1898.)

(No Model.)

WITNESSES 6&9,

' TTORNEYS.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JQSEPH T. RICHARDS, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

INSTRUMENT FOR lNDlCATlNG CONDITION OF RAILROAD-TRACKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,983, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed April '7, 1898. Serial No. 676,807. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J osEPH T. RICHARDS, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsy1vania,have invented a new and useful Improvement in an Instrumentforlndicating the Condition of Railroad-Tracks, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawing.

My invention has for its object the indication of the condition of railroad-tracks as to the regularity or irregularity of the rails, and involves an instrument having a member actuated by the swaying or motions of a car on which the instrument is placed to record the number of vibrations of said member and announce the computed extent of the distances of such vibrations, the members of the instrument being hereinafter described, and the novel features thereof pointed out in the claims that follow the specification.

The drawing represents a perspective view of an instrument embodying my invention;

Referring to the drawing, A designates a base to which is secured the support B of the vertically-arranged arm 0, one end of which is secured to said support, and the other end is free and has connected with it the clinometer D and the bell-hammer E, said arm being formed of a strip or plate of elastic material, such as steel.

F designates an upright frame to which are secured the bells G, which are located on opposite sides of the hammer E, so as to be struck by the latter.

To the arm 0 is pivotally secured the horizontally-arranged rack or ratchet bar H,which engages with the ratchet or pinion J, whose shaft K is connected with the operating mechanism of the register L, the latter being supported on the frame F and adapted to accu mulatively count or compute the distance that said arm may vibrate as the car or train proceeds.

Engaging with the teeth of the ratchet J is the pawl M, which is mounted on the arm N on the frame F, said pawl having bearing against it the spring P, whereby it is held in proper engagement with the ratchet, so as to prevent improper rotation of the latter, while the bar H is adapted to rest upon and ride over the pawl, so as to raise said bar from the teeth of the ratchet in one motion of the bar, but permit said bar to engage with said teeth on the return motion of the former, thus causing the rotation of the ratchet and consequent operation of the register.

Q designates a horizontally-arranged arm, which is connected at one end with the frame F and carries at the other end the clinometer R, the bell-hammer S, and the depending rack or ratchet bar T, which is adapted to engage with the pinion or ratchet-wheel U, whose shaft V is connected with the operating mechanism of the register W, the latter being supported on the frame F.

Adjacent to the hammer S are the bells X, which are secured to the frame]? and adapted to be struck by said hammer.

It will be seen that theinstrument may be placed on any desired car, and when the latter is in motion its swaying will vibrate the ,arm 0, and thus operate the clinometerD and register L, the bells G being also rung, thus directing attention to the operation of the instrument, it being noticed that the member D registers the number of vibrations of said arm and the member L indicates the total distance said arm travels. The vertical or up and down motions of a car will vibrate the arm Q, and the members R and \V will act similarly to those of the arm 0, the bells X being also rung, it being noticed that the instrument has its base resting on the fioor of a car or may be placed on a table or other support thereon, so as to follow the vibrations of the car, and as the arms 0 and Q are elastic or resilient in their nature they are sensitively affected by said vibrations. By these means the inspector or official of a railroad will have an appreciable record of the irreg ularities of the rails as laid within a given distance or section, and so determine to what extent the road is properly or improperly maintained and whether its condition is such as to require notice.

If desired, each arm and its appurtenances, with the relative parts, may be mounted on a separate base; but this is immaterial.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A11 instrument for indicating the condition of railroad-tracks as to their regularity or irregularity, embodying a movable member adapted to be vibrated by the motions of a car in which the instrument is placed, and a clinometer carried by said member.

2. An instrument of the character stated, having a vibrating member, a support therefor, and a clinometer connected with said member, the latter being adapted to be operated by the motion of a car or vehicle in which it is placed.

3. In an instrument of the character stated, a resilient arm, a counting-register, supports for said arm and register, and gearing for said resilient arm and the operating mechanism of said register, whereby the instrument is adapted to be operated by the vibrating motions of the car.

4. A vibrating arm or member, a support therefor, aregister, a support therefor, a rack bar on said member and a wheel with. which consisting of resilient arms, respectively vertically and horizontally arranged, a support therefor, clinometers carried by said arms, registers on said support, and connections on said arms with the operating mechanism of said registers.

JOSEPH T. RICHARDS.

\Vitnesses:

SAML. FULTON, E. A. WEAVER. 

